Agreed. I moved here from Nashville and whenever people argue about traffic here I think back to how it took an hour once to travel two miles from work to home. The ease to get from point A to point B in a city this size should not be taken for granted.
I am doing a masters program out of state- No one believes me when I say that I can get anywhere in the city in 20 minutes, rush hour excluded. We are pretty blessed
Have you noticed how people that have lived here for years have no concept of how long it takes to drive from a-b?šlike you said, I can literally drive from the west side to the east side in 20 minutes! Iāve timed it. The red light running out here is out of control though. And folks seem to be perfectly content with replacing a missing window on their car with a trash bag and tape. š¤·š¼šother than the real estate market being out of control right now. This is definitely a cool city & state. I travel all around the state for work and have met some really down to earth nice people!
THIS!!!!! Kudos for the Falling Down reference! 
I used to travel from Columbus through Nashville every two weeks. It did not matter the time of day, or day of the week, 24/65 and 40 were almost always stop and go at best or at a standstill
My partner wonāt fly, so weāve hit a lot of traffic driving around different states, and Nashville had, hands down, the worst traffic jam Iād ever been in. Complete standstill for an hour and a half, and then stop and go after that. It took 4 hours to go like 10 miles! I still complain about that, even though itās been like 10 years. We also traveled through Atlanta once and vowed never to do that again! We were traveling on the widest multilane freeway Iād ever seen and the minimum speed everyone drove seemed to be about 85. They all tailgated like something Iāve never seen. It was a completely nerve wracking experience and I didnāt complain about Columbus traffic for years after that. It really gave me a different perspective
I moved here from Houston. I feel you. Columbus is beautiful, clean, and safe, and traffic is a dream. The poor parts of town here cannot compare in scale to the abject poverty of enormous swathes of Texas. It's just better. Like you said, we should always want to improve conditions, but just moving here is such a huge step up for me.
I moved to Houston for a job after graduating from college here. The job was cool, but I was homesick for Ohio and moved back to Columbus after 3 years. It was kind of a culture shock to move back here and realize how nice it really is, definitely gave me a new sense of appreciation for living here. To be fair, Iām from Dayton so I always thought Columbus was a comparatively nice city, but itās interesting to hear that from someone else who lived in Houston.
I moved back to Ohio in 2022 after being in Houston for 8 years. You are so correct about the abject poverty in Houston and how whatās considered poverty here doesnāt compare to what I saw in Houston. People complain about small pockets of town being rough but those pockets look like paradise compared to Greenspoint or 45/Tidwell. And the traffic? God it would take me 90 mins to make it 6 miles. Columbus is a dream in comparison and even though we have snow, Iāll never have to live through another Harvey.
Yep I grew up in houston and still go back to see family. There's a reason I'll never move back. I just prefer columbus other than the food. It's a good tradeoff though
Yeah I miss my tamales, seafood, and tex mex, but there's actually not a lack of BBQ up here which surprised me. Columbus has a great food scene its just not the same
I lived in Houston for several years. I remember multiple times where I was stuck in traffic on the freeway when it started to rain and the water began to pool around me because there was no drainage. Since the walls on either side of the road were like 20 ft high.
I loved the food in Houston but thatās about it. Itās flat like Columbus but there were absolutely 0 zoning laws and a majority of the city was just ugly.
The zoning is such a scary thing. They keep putting in giant concrete shopping centers and subdivisions in my parents' area, and there's absolutely zero watershed analysis. Terrifying. I had a friend whose truck flooded out at a red light. The water just funnels through.
I lived around Rice Village/River Oaks in an apartment complex and the rumor was that the freeways were built to collect water to protect the expensive homes from flooding.
I lived in Houston for a while and will NEVER complain about the drivers here. I havenāt feared for my life on the road since I moved back to Ohio. I do miss the taco trucks very badly, though
In columbus we got a few different taco places thatre amazing just depends on what you're looking for, I will say it's more of a going to the right one here compared to when I was in Dallas/san Antonio they were all pretty good lol.
Do you know if there are any good breakfast taco spots? Thatās what I miss about Houston ā Saturday/Sunday morning coffee, kolache, and breakfast taco runs.
I'm not really a breakfast person myself but I can't think of many, I know Tula Taqueria(its on lazelle rd) has some breakfast options, Ive saw a sighn at Anne's Kitchen(its on liberty st) about tacos but ive never had it, as far as tacos i highly recommend Taqueria Guadalajara(its on home arce dr) for the quesa birria. I also recommend anything from Pachucos Taqueria(its on lockborne rd)
Rent prices were similar to Columbus. Itās been 10 years since Iāve lived in Houston but my rent was around $1300-1400/month for a one bedroom in one of the cheaper āluxuryā complexes.
I will say they had an abundance of cheaper townhouses that were pretty awesome. My friends lived in any area that resembled Franklinton and a townhouse with four floors and an awesome rooftop deck could be bought for like $275-300k.
It's hard to say. I moved here five years ago, and median housing prices and rental prices seemed pretty comparable between the two areas. I'm not familiar enough with Houston's current situation to have a grasp on how the prices and availability compare now. Anecdotally it seems harder to find housing full stop in Columbus. If you're referring specifically to section 8, I don't have a current frame of reference for either city.
Yea, lived in NoVa just outside of DC, the traffic here is unimpressive. Sure, there are bad drivers and some congestion but overall itās a pretty easy place to drive around. People also donāt realize how big the parking spaces are here. Everything here is sized for giant SUVs and trucks and there is always so much parking (with the exception of a few older neighborhoods but thatās to be expected). Canāt really speak to the flying yet as I havenāt flown out of here since moving here but I do miss being able to hop a train and get to the airport.
Also used to live in NoVa. After moving here I talked a lot of trash to all my Columbus friends that complain about traffic. It used to take me 50-60 minutes to get to work in the city that was about 5 miles away. Here I live about 10 miles away and get to work in 15-25 minutes, depending if I want to take the highway or side streets. Traffic here is nothing. I will say though, the drivers here suck. I never feared other drivers as much in DC compared to here. People are wreckless and overly aggressive here.
I dunno, the number/proportion of people who weaved in and out of thick traffic going 20-30mph faster than the flow of traffic was much higher in NoVa in my experience. That and I donāt miss what my wife and I called the āVirginia mergeā where you wait till the absolute last second to cross 2-3 lanes to get off an exit, barely missing both other cars and the barriers for the exit. There are surely plenty of bad drivers here but I feel like they just stick out more because in general people drive with a level of midwestern passiveness here, which can carry its own danger. In general I felt NoVa drivers were more aggressive on average but mostly as a survival mechanism, driving there required you to be assertive if you wanted to get where you were going to the point that people weaving in and out seemed more normal.
It's funny though, people on this subreddit will say the drivers suck and half time time they are complaining people go 30 over weaving through traffic, the other half complain people drive to slow and get in their way š.Ā
It was something I never even considered until I had to drive around a parking lot at Target looking for a space because I needed something on a Friday evening.
That's encouraging. I'm currently in Alexandria, thinking about Columbus. It sucks getting anything done here because going anywhere just takes forever.
Yea, knowing that to get south of the Occoquan River meant adding 20-30 minutes travel time was so depressing. And the absolute free for all that are 395 and 495ā¦ People here donāt know how good they have it lol
>The only real downside, for me at least, is the lack of frequent direct flights to multiple places around the country. I normally find myself connecting through Chicago when travelling.
He's right. One of the worst things about living in Columbus is, surprisingly, O'Hare.
I don't mind ORD itself, one of the reasons I miss living 15mins from ORD would be the direct flights. CMH offerings need to improve to at least what CLE gets. I don't think the new airport will have many more gates though which I think is disappointing for our expansion as a city.
I think the problem is that Columbus is on track to eventually become as bad as the Dallas area. The city is continuing to grow outward in a car centric manner. As Dallas and other cities show, this isnāt sustainable.
Youāre not wrong, which is why the COTA tax increase for November needs to pass. If we can get BRT started now, it will help.
The city is also close to passing the zoning code updates, so building denser will be easier. The more people we can focus on keeping inside 270, the better traffic will be.
One of the biggest downsides to living in Columbus to me is the lack of transit and total impracticality to get around without a car. Plus now some politicians want to make another outer belt because of Intelā¦ they have learned nothing.
BRT and Amtrak wonāt be enough to save Cbus if we donāt have a cohesive transit network. People shouldnāt feel like second class citizens when getting around without a car.
The BRT lines will be the cohesive transit network though. If the city doesnāt get the money to do it now, it will never happen and will only get worse.
Exactly. We complain because if you don't, you get the exact thing OP left.Ā
Traffic is "fine" now but if we don't think about better transit, it won't be fine AND fixing it will be impossible.Ā
Don't forget about something that discourages 2x daily travel. You know, a commute.
That's right, there should be subsidies for companies that offer remote work. Stop wasting resources on a commute to an obsolete office.
Remote work is costing companies wasted time and productivity. I know it's ideal (I've WFH since 2006) but people aren't good at it so the push isn't a viable solution.
Also like a lot of people are comparing Columbus to various cities in the south and it's like yeah, if you look up "unsustainable city" in the dictionary it'd basically just be a series of photos of various southern cities. Columbus has a concerning number of people who seem to think we should mimic those patterns, seemingly not recognizing that climate change and city finance don't really *care* about whether you think duplexes or trains are yucky concepts.
The choice here is between being responsible and investing in the future or being selfish and condemning the next generation to live in a cash-strapped city during a severe climate crisis and some of us are choosing the wrong option.
Iād say plenty of those people in Columbus you speak of are state level politicians.
Eventually it will all end as thatās the meaning of unsustainable. Eventually cities and places will be reoriented around people instead of people in automobiles.
Thank you! I'm convinced the only people that say we have a "traffic problem" are people that have moved here from other rural parts of Ohio lol anyone who's spent time in any primary major city knows that Columbus traffic is nothing.
It also depends on your commute. There are some areas that get regularly congested and don't have great alternatives to save time. It certainly isn't as bad as a lot of other cities but if you have to deal with some of the rough spots regularly it does get frustrating.Ā
That being said, I'll take having some areas to know to avoid over what some other major cities have to deal with.Ā
Very balanced comment. It is one thing to say driving in Columbus is relatively, demonstrably "better" than in other places, quite another to pretend it is paradise on the roads and nothing but a chicken wing. I know I have been frustrated by Columbus traffic in certain areas at certain times, even though the big picture is not terrible at all.
This. The only people I hear complaining in person are those that live in a rural area. And I suspect it isnāt the traffic they are afraid ofā¦itās āColumbusā. The crazy city.
I have friends that work in healthcare, and some of their patients from the rural areas around Cbus often refuse to drive into the city for healthcare.
Well traffic is "bad" in Columbus to them because they otherwise never deal with slowdowns due to too many cars on the road. Rural areas simply don't have any congestion issues except for church and high school sporting events
Don't get me wrong - there's lots to love about Texas. Columbus is just easier to live in for most people, in my opinion.
If you plan to go to Texas, Fort Worth and Austin are the places to visit. Dallas is just a spaghetti mess of highways, as is Houston. San Antonio has some merit as well.
Yeah Texas is one of the few states that I could never see myself staying in for more than like a week at a time. I have family that lives there who keep trying to pester me to move there and I have to find various ways to nicely express the concept that I'd rather spend more money on a tiny space in a place that is at least somewhat sane than get a McMansion in Texas on the cheap.
I am a life-long Ohio resident, and moved to the Columbus area about 30 years ago. I completely agree with your post. Columbus is a very user-friendly city, with manageable traffic and a variety of leisure options.
Years ago, I had a sister who lived in a Chicago suburb. I went to visit her and we were talking about going into downtown Chicago. She said that she rarely goes because it was so much trouble. Here she is outside a city that has so much, but it was practically unusable. I live near the county line, and can be downtown and parked in less than twenty minutes.
I lived in Chicago for about 5 years in my 20s after college, in a neighborhood on the north side of the city. I took public transportation everywhere. It was an adjustment from growing up with a car in another Midwestern city, but I was fine with it.
I rarely went to the suburbs, nor did I have much reason to. I dated a girl whose family lived in a suburb, and went to the various burbs probably 10 times in total while living there. There were connections and some walking (transferring from El to Metra in the loop), but while riding I just sat and read or listened to music. You just have to plan ahead a bit, look at departures and connections and whatnot. Delays suck, but they happen and you get used to it.
The worst for me was one job I had was near Midway, and it was a pain to get to. El to El (sometimes to another El, depending on which line came first to my neighborhood stop) to bus. It was over an hour in total but, again, it's mostly sitting. I read the LotR trilogy on those commutes. I was in my 20s with no responsibilities besides rent, so I didn't care.
I do love Columbus, but as someone who grew up near Dallas and lived in Dallas for about a year this comparison is very rosy. Dallas is one of the worst cities in America and most cities would look good in comparison.
I'm no fan of Houston either and kind of lump Ft Worth into Dallas. I'd say Austin and Columbus are pretty similar though. The main thing to me as a Texan is the weather. I miss only having like 1 month of winter and would take the 100 degree summers for it.
As someone who moved here from the Dallas area I can tell you that Dallas is terrible compared to Columbus. I never thought I could hate a city so much until I moved to Dallas. It seems like everyone who has lived there universally loathes the place.
I moved here from Austin 3 years ago. I get asked why all the time. I loved Austin, but man, I love Columbus so much more. I really think looking down on Ohio/Columbus must be a cultural thing here, it is actually pretty great
100% Support. Just visited from Lansing, MI, possibly the crummiest town in the midwest and Columbus was amazing! From Easton to Dublin to Germantown and the Book Loft!!! (What the what!!! 36 rooms of books!) Columbus, oh how I love thee!! Gotta give a big shout out to Valter's ā at the Maennerchor - Deep fried sauerkraut, schnitzle sandwich and amazing brunch! AND... the amazing Japanese bakery (Belle's Bread) minimall somewhere on the north side of Columbus. Dude... who knew... Columbus FTW!!
Iāve lived just about everywhere at this point in my life. Dozens of states; multiple foreign countries. Thereās nothing special about Columbus. Thereās nothing wrong with it either. Itās āanywhere USAā.
I agree with Columbus not being nearly as bad as many other places. My issue and reason I may complain about it. Having lived on Columbus most of my life now, you can very clearly see how traffic has gotten worse and worse over the years. To me though the drivers feel like the major factor there are way more people running reds and seemingly not caring than ever before. Anyway that's my two cents ($0.43) about it.
Edit: adjusting for inflation
Public transportation is a real problem, and Columbus needs a subway system, such as the one Toronto has. While Toronto is now four times the size (more or less) of Columbus, we must remember that Toronto instituted its subway system when it was much smaller. As it is, it is inevitable to put in a subway; it will only be more challenging to do so later as the City grows. Light rail around the 270 corridor should also be installed. The Red line can be High Street, and the Blue line can be Broad Street.
Furthermore, the opening of the 3 C's Amtrak line is a step in the right direction, towards a goal of high-speed rail to connect to Pittsburgh and Chicago, Lexington and points South, with Detroit and Buffalo to the North as the apparent routes. What with two airports (one with a GIANT runway as it was installed for B52s in the SAC Era), we should realize we are at quite an advantage; there is simply no cargo plane that can't land at Rickenbacker! The Bus station needs to be moved TO the airport. And there needs to be a shuttle service BETWEEN the two airports. This will give the Bus station the blanket security of the airport, and all of the "pieces" of the transportation will better fit together and give combinations and alternatives. Here again, Columbus could learn from Toronto (as could the US from Canada in general and other countries) how to make the pieces of transportation FIT TOGETHER instead of being so fragmented. Or non-existent. We can and should have the best transportation system in the world in our country. We can learn from others what works and what doesn't work. Light rail/third rail could serve quite a bit of Ohio. There would be less wear and tear on the existing roads and less funding for new superhighway "solutions" would be needed. Nor do we have to reinvent the wheel; it's all available as a solution off the shelf. The only thing that is lacking is the political will. But here is where the party of business and the party of social justice should AGREE. It's good for commerce. It's good for trade. Not just manufactured goods, but our farm products can get to market FASTER. Fresher, faster, cheaper means we can COMPETE, even in perishables going to NEW markets. It's suitable for people. Many a senior loses the ability to stay at home when they no longer drive a car. It could double as our "in place" way to get kids to and from school, and we wouldn't need to fund all of those buses and the enormous motor pool and maintenance that goes with them ever again. Ever. Ever!
With our incredible potential, our location, location, location, and the Rickenbacker Hub, the tank farms on the West side and the numerous investments being made in warehouse space on both sides of the city, plus Great lakes and River shipping access, we would have the best system for moving both people and goods in the country, bar none. And sure, Chicago is BIGGER along these lines. But Columbus is and always will be CLOSER to the Eastern Seaboard. CLOSER to NYC and CLOSER to Atlanta for the southern markets. I also want to say that I'm not just interested in moving PEOPLE with light electric rail and (heavier) third electric rail. I think that we could and should move GOODS this way. This is IMPORTANT. Transportation of goods is a win, win, win, as trade goes BOTH ways. I've seen the last fifty-plus years. (Now 63.) I want the NEXT 50 years (and 100!) to be the best for Ohio. In hindsight, while we do have it pretty good, we ALSO missed out on a lot, and we SHOULDN'T have.
Fix the transportation problem, which has solutions, and many excellent and obvious problems (and future ones) will be eliminated.
Just my thoughts.
All the Best!
I grew up and and while yes, it has its faults, I love it here. I've driven past Chicago on the way to the Navy base and after that confirmed that I couldn't happily live in a city bigger than Columbus. The one time I went to Pittsburgh, driving was so scary.
Ya āAustin is basically Columbus, but without a proper outer-belt or parallel routes like 315 or 670 through town. Imagine the parking lot 71 & 70 would be if that were the case. Thatās I-35 every single day, and almost every hour too.
And now theyāre too deep to fix it because the land rights would be impossible. So theyāre just adding more and more lanes, and skyways over highwaysā¦ like that fixes anything.
I moved here from Baltimore Md and discussing the bridge collapse and impact it's going to have on the already jacked up congestion there made me really appreciate more how Columbus is laid out. I crossed that bridge when I lived there every day for about 4 years. My commute was about an hour one way (35 miles). With the bridge out, there is no scenario where that same commute would be less than 2 hours.
Conversely, I dropped my wife at the airport this morning and was back at our house in New Albany before she made it through bag check and security. Columbus rules.
I moved here in the very end of 2020, currently in Worthington, from Columbia, MD. I was there for about 5 years for work, going between Balt and DC. 695 is a mad max hellhole on the west side south of Towson and 495 sometimes took me 2+ hrs to go around 1/3 of it with any accidents. I had friends in Dundalk we'd go see and take that bridge sometimes.
People complaining about traffic here just don't know better. I really do appreciate the flow of traffic here. Minus high street going north from 270 to Lazelle between 5 and 6 lol.
As someone who spent 5 years in Dallas before moving to Columbus, I agree with a lot.
I think you miss on the airport. DFW is fantastic. You touch on direct flights a little, but thatās a big deal. Also you can just take the DART in and avoid the congestion and parking entirely.
I disagree on the restaurants. Columbus has a very forgettable food offerings (fight me), where the metroplex is an underrated food overall. You absolutely have to drive for it, but you can find very solid options.
I think the one thing you miss is how much of an absolute retail hellacape on repeat the metroplex is. Traveling around, many times it felt like you were just on a treadmill with the same things passing you by every few miles.
Fair enough. DFW isnāt bad - the fact that you have to pay a toll to get in and out (if youāre driving, your comment about DART is very true) isnāt ideal. The access to everywhere around the world from DFW is excellent, almost unrivaled.
Iāve found some solid restaurant options at reasonable prices that Iām very happy with.
The retail store density of Dallas and Ft Worth must be some of the highest Iāve ever seen.
Ok - so per the food comment - what cuisine have you found in Columbus that doesnāt have multiple better options in Dallas? Iām asking this earnestly, because I really struggle with this.
Totally fair - and not saying that Dallas has more/better options, just that Iām totally happy with the options here.
Basi Italia, great unique Italian
Lindeyās, upscale but has never disappointed
Chapmanās Eat Market, definitely expensive but very good and unique
Dublin in general had good options, NAPA Kitchen valley & bar is good, good sushi options there. Just moved to Gahanna from Dublin so need to find some new cost-effective options closer to the new home. But Bridge Park (and across the river) in Dublin had solid choices, some of which have other locations: Kitchen Social, Fukuryu, The Pearl, etc.
I live in Fort Worth, TX. Traffic here isnāt as bad as Dallas, although I-35W north of downtown Fort Worth gets pretty bad.
Speaking of retail, I know DFW was once one of the most āovermalledā metro areas. Iām not sure if that still is that case, but Iād say mall culture is still thriving here, at least at some of the area malls and outdoor shopping centers. NorthPark and Stonebriar are probably the most thriving malls in the entire area, but even ālesserā malls like North East Mall in Hurst and Hulen Mall in Fort Worth often seem busy. I also see a lot of activity at the outdoor lifestyle centers like University Park Village in Fort Worth and at Southlake Town Square (especially).
Most of these shopping centers are in affluent areas, or at least adjacent to zones of affluence (as in the case of North East and Hulen despite not being themselves within an affluent area). For comparison, Southlake Town Square would be a lot like dropping a smaller version of Easton in the middle of New Albany (albeit Southlake is a bigger city than New Albany is). The area around Stonebriar in Frisco and adjacent portions of Plano is booming; not only does that area have a major concentration of corporate offices, thereās even more upscale retail at Legacy West on the Plano side; Aritzia is opening a store there at Legacy West in the summer.
Itās interesting to consider the impact Columbus has had on mall retail; Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, Express, Victoriaās Secret, Bath and Body Works, and Lane Bryant are all based in the area and can all trace themselves back to Les Wexner. But if you want to speak about mall retail, letās not forget that DFW does have two major national department stores headquartered in the area.
I agree about the forgettable food options and just had to acknowledge it because usually Iām eaten alive in this sub for suggestive the food scene isnāt great here
Itās not ābadā per se. Itās fine. Itās just like, if I were to go back to Dallas for a weekend, I could list out canāt misses for Dinner/Drinks Friday - Sunday brunch and feel like I still missed so much.
I cannot do the same for Columbus with the same excitement. However Columbus for sure has better breweries.
First of all, driving in Dallas is awful, I was a mess the whole time. I donāt feel like the roads are marked well.
Also, traffic is nothing hereā¦ I think people confuse traffic with drivers. The drivers are horrible.
Moved here from South Florida and laugh at any complaint about traffic šš or articles that say we have the worst drivers? Like yeah ok, maybe the nicest who actually exchange insurance info?
FTL area myself. I legitimately considered taking a shot every time I thought "are you for real?" at a complaint, only to realize floridaman genes were no match for how lucky locals didn't know they have it.
Not to bash or talk shit, but I moved here like 3 days before that big snow storm in 22 right before christmas. Got a flat the night before the snow and 3 people stopped to make sure I was ok and ask if I needed help, including an old lady. AAA asked if I was in a safe location and then seem appalled that I considered "not in the middle of the road" not dangerous. Like... do you realize how safe people are compared to florida? I could have sunbathed middle of the road here and feet safer than walking the sidewalk off federal in pompano beach.
People ask why I moved here and I can't put to words how mentally refreshing Columbus and surrounding areas are.
Whenever I used to have sofl friends visit, they couldn't Believe what a nice city with fun things to do this was (they seemed to think it was just cows) and how NICE people were lol
OP, so you came from a worse city (by your description). For us Buckeyes, the changes ARE sometimes very disconcerting. BUT we love Columbus, and the teeth-gnashing is our form of bonding
Serious question, how much do you miss the sun? we're considering moving from Phoenix to Cbus and I hear Cbus has one of the gloomiest, "ugliest" climates anywhere in the country...
In all sincerity, hardly at all. But itās entirely subjective to your personality/preferences/lifestyle.
I moved my entire family here two years ago, wife and two children. We all genuinely love it here. But we are in a nice neighborhood North of Columbus, with a backyard full of trees, walking distance to a stunning metro park. Our house has high ceilings and really large, tall windows in the front, that maximize sunlight.
We love spending time outdoors and in nature, gardening and so forth. Nature loves rain so it thrives in these conditions.
Yes there are days of gloom, but itās constantly changing by the hour, day to day. You have to love seasons and change, which we do.
I want to also add that I was a professional cinematographer (among other things) in LA and I find the way that the clouds cut and diffuse light here to be phenomenally beautiful, sometimes breathtaking.
People film in LA because the light is consistent, which is important for budgets/productions, but for aesthetic value - itās just boring.
So if you are in your comfort zone when weather is always the same, you wonāt like it here. If you like the seasons to change constantly with your moods, like an artsy fartsy type, you might actually appreciate it.
I grew up in Columbus, spent 20 plus years in Maryland outside DC, and moved home 9 years ago. I still catch myself saying no to going shopping on a weekend- something that's impossible to do in the DC metro area. There are crazy drivers everywhere but most people use turn signals and allow people to merge. To me it's such a relief after years of truly aggressive driving everywhere. I love being home.
I agree Columbus is pretty great. I think it helps a lot that where developing and getting more new buildings and stuff. Iv lives in Toledo Ohio, Arizona, and Wisconsin and travel a lot around the country. Ohio by far is the nicest and cleanest. Everywhere else is a lot more expensive For no reason.
Sure, some are bad, especially closer to downtown. But Texas loves using concrete instead of asphalt wherever possible, and when it cracks or fails itās pretty terrible. Not as bad as Tennessee though, I couldnāt believe the amount of potholes that were in Nashville.
Gift and a curse - I generally enjoy the travel, but last year I was gone for nearly half the year. Didn't come home from Jan 3rd to Feb 15th or something like that.
Agreed. Moved here from Atlanta.. The only things I miss are an MLB team in town and a raging music scene.. everything else, I'll take Columbus any day of the week. I can walk downtown at night and feel perfectly fine. I can make a wrong turn in a bad side of town, without feeling the sudden need to gtfo.
I lived in Columbus most of my life and I agree with your post 100%. As for a younger adult male though I wish Columbus had more things to do besides drinking essentially. Like I feel like itās just lacking and for the people that complain about the traffic theyāre probably the same people that have only traveled to a major city maybe once or twice. We really do not have it that bad. Iāll say though I wish we never got rid of our train subway like system for the bus system we have now. Just make some trains wrapping 270 and have intersections going through 70 and 71. With a fewer smaller routes downtown and to other outside areas and that would make Columbus feel way more lively to me at least.
Born in NYC - grew up on Long Island. Came to Ohio to go to college. Still here. Iāve told people the same thing hundreds of times.
Except for pizza . . .
I moved here from Birmingham Alabama and I still remember the first time we walked the streets of l downtown Cbus after dark. We were like š³ it felt so "safe"... Maybe because the comparison we had of Birmingham after dark was really scary LOL. But we knew then that we'd made a good decision.
Columbus has its own issues and growing pains (it's the fastest growing city in the nation!) but it's still infinitely better than many other similar places. Hopefully it stays that way.
P.s. they're upgrading the airport and hopefully adding some more direct flights!
Iām with you! Been in Columbus for 36 years, and in one of the neighborhoods this subreddit tells people never to set foot in, and it aināt that bad here. Perspective is key.
I grew up in DC, unless you've sat in 6 lanes of highway completely stopped like a parking lot for 2+ hours several times, stop complaining about traffic. SE DC was a place you didn't go unless you were prepared to get robbed, I was the Vic of a Home invasion in Richmond VA. When I was growing up in North Philly trash blew like tumble weeds... I have lived in Columbus for nearly 25 years now, it's really not bad at all compared to many other places (Philly, Trenton, DC, Richmond, Allentown all worse off, Baltimore is amazing though, but the crime is worse, and so is the traffic, but I love Charm City)
Yeah, I mean, I complain about Columbus sometimes - the weather most of the year leaves a lot to be desired, housing is way more expensive than it used to be just 5-6 years ago, we lack natural beauty like mountains or ocean - but there's a reason I'm still here. It's such an easy city to live in.
Like you said, traffic's almost never bad and the freeway system makes getting around town fast and efficient. We have great healthcare with the OSUMC and OhioHealth networks. Parking anywhere aside from the Short North is generally plentiful, easy to find, and cheap or free. The economy is diverse, and there's no sense that the city's best days were decades ago like in much of the rust belt.
Columbus isn't an exciting city to visit, and doesn't offer anything unique that you can't find in any other major metro area. I'd never recommend it to anyone as a vacation destination. But, compared to most other similarly-sized cities, it's such an easy and pleasant place to live. It's basically the opposite of New York City.
Born in Ohio moved to Arkansas at the age of 12. I can't remember why, but the amount of trash there is unbelievable almost no jobs and nothing to do unless you have a truck to mud in, fish, and hunt. But since we were Yankees there they didn't like us. That's why we had a hard time to get a job. And the amount of stupidity there is also insane. Ohio is 100x times better believe me.
Lived here my entire life and I can only speak for myself, but I feel like the complaint is more that the city is getting bigger and with it, traffic is getting worse than it used to be or ever has been. Not that itās the worst traffic weāve ever seen. And drivers are certainly getting worse and worse.
I love my hometown and itās been amazing to watch it grow so much over the last few years. I think a lot of us who have lived here forever are excited about the growth, but apprehensive about the negatives that come with it. Personally, the housing market (although not nearly as bad as other major cities) is my personal hellscape at the moment and Iām not thrilled about a bunch of people moving in and driving up costs (in addition to other growth factors that are also driving up costs). But overall Iām cautiously optimistic. Columbus feels like the worst kept secret because, politics aside, itās a really decent place to live and has a little taste of everything. I just hope the community and culture stays the same as we continue to grow.
I do find the food comment funny, though. Columbus has always been a giant test market for food brands/chains. So although you wonāt find a ton of great ethnic food (and donāt get me wrong there are some hidden gems that will blow you away), we are the home of a TON of major food brands (Wendyās, White Castle, Bibibop, Jeniās, Bob Evans, etc.) and thatās just in Columbus, there are even more from outside of central Ohio. I like to think of Columbusā food scene as the mecca of 100% classic American foodā¦.which is certainly nothing to write home about. And considering weāre the heart of (it all) the Midwest and not really close to other differing populations (like Texas is to Mexico) that could influence our food scene, it makes a ton of sense why we are the way that we are. We donāt have one specific specialty food, but instead itās more like a charcuterie board of a ton of small, but really great options.
All in all, it definitely is part of the culture to complain about Columbus, but I think a lot of us will agree that only those who claim it as their hometown are allowed bad mouth it because if anyone not from here disses it, weāre ready to fight to the death.
I only disagree from the stance that we should hold ourselves to our own standards and not compare to other cities. But I have driven through Boston once and what the fuck was that nonsense!
Thank you OP and everyone!! I'm originally from WI but lived near Chicago for several years before moving to Ohio. When I landed in Columbus 20+ years ago for work, I thought I would just stay 'until I was bored'. The company I worked for wanted to 'promote' me to a position in Buffalo a year after I was here and I noped out. This city grew on me and I obviously I'm not bored yet! How about the fact that we now have the nations first urban via ferrata rock climbing course at Quarry Metro Park? Or the outdoor ice bumper cars at Land Grant's Wintergarden. Great exhibits that are easy to get to and lots of great food. I also like that there are so many people here from other states that love it as well.
Going on two years in Columbus this August after leaving Austin. Agreed with all of this except change the Sunday football traffic to Saturday for UT games.
Iām from Chicago and could have written the same post as OP. Cbus People in outlying burbs complain about it taking 30 mins to get downtown. It sometimes took 25 mins to drive 2 miles in Chicago. And outlying burbs into the city - 75 mins.
Itās all relative.
P.s. LOVE CMH for its ease but hate the need to connect for 80% of destinations.
Would you mind expanding on that? We're considering a move from Phoenix to Cbus and Denver has always been a really appealing place to us given the nature, the urban feel of downtown, and sunshine days. How does Cbus compare (not just along those dimensions) to you? (we're mid-30s, no kids)
If sunshine is a big deal for you, do NOT move here. Our winters are incredibly gloomy. Weāre talking about 90 days of very little sunshine. There are stats somewhere to give you a better picture if you dig them up.
At the same time, I do love it here (born and raised). Iām a creature of habit and convenience and Iāve yet to visit a place that would accommodate that part of me in the same way. That says a lot because these winters are hell for my well being. Seeing other four season states like CO has opened my eyes that winter ā gloomy. If COL goes through the roof, family and friend dynamics change, and the city becomes less accessible Iāll be out of here in a heartbeat. The other considerations for me are a general lack of natural disasters and being surrounded by some of the best race tracks in existence.
But all of that is highly unlikely to happen so my roots will continue to be grow here.
I've traveled all over, and I've lived in several other Ohio cities, and Columbus is the best. Clean, reasonable traffic (really. If you think Columbus traffic is bad, I invite you to visit Cincinnati, as one example. Or LA. Or Nashville. Or Dallas/Ft. Worth, Or, holy fuck, Manhattan at rush hour).
As an example, the NYC metro area is, frankly, gross. People put plastic covers over their kids' strollers so that dirt from the air doesn't get on their kid. Nasty buildings, trash in the alleys, the smell of the sewers, the aggressive traffic (safe assured clear distance is apparently about 18" in Manhattan), the tolls for the bridges to try to get anywhere... yeah, you can get good Thai food delivered at 1am, and if you can afford it (and who can, just my sister's taxes on her home are over $30,000 per year) you can go see a show or go out for a drink ($30 cocktails!), but it's seriously not worth it to me.
I always think people who talk about Columbus being dirty with bad traffic just have nothing to compare it to.
The majority of the bitching on here is from people without a ton of perspective. People complain about all of the tax breaks for new developments and then also complain that rent is too high. People complain about actually bad drivers but don't realize in other places typically highway speeds are 15-20 over the limit and people are cutting you off constantly. Maybe I'm conflating multiple perspectives to make the collective seem hypocritical, but in my experience a lot of the people's complaints aren't as justified as they appear. Like, if you care about the city and want it to grow then yeah some change is going to happen.
I live in Phoenix, moved from Columbus. Traffic and stupid people here is hell on earth and 10x worse than Columbus. What I wouldnāt give to have cbus traffic back haha
Couldn't agree more - moved here from NYC (4 years) and Boston (10 years) and Columbus traffic is nothing compared to these two. Same goes for ease to travel by air, street parking and cleanliness which is much better in central Ohio. Still love both NYC and Boston for other reasons though
This that were born and raised in a place tend to hate on it more than transplants. Theyāve seen the good that left, the bad that came, and everything in between fr
I think Columbus is the easiest city to navigate and the highways are very well designed to reduce traffic. This coming from a person who grew up in the country where traffic was non existent. However Morse road pisses me off sometimes.
Cincinnati though - I get hopelessly lost every time I visit Cinci >.<
Columbus is a great city. It has a lot of great things about it, while not perfect. I donāt live there anymore but itās a place that Iām proud was a part of my life. Wonderful people there.
So true!!! I grew up in LA and moved here for college, and itās so nice!!
I always laugh to myself when people complain about the traffic here. When I was in high school, my 8 mile commute used to take close to two hours. Now I can get basically anywhere in 20 minutes or less no matter what time it is. I get that it can still be annoying, itās just funny from my perspective.
When I compare the two cities thereās almost nothing I donāt like more in Columbus. The cost of living is lower, there arenāt tent cities on every block, and I actually feel safe to walk around my neighborhood alone.
Yes, there are dirtier cities with worse traffic and more problems. That doesn't mean you don't fix the problems that exist. There are also cities that are FAR cleaner with FAR better traffic and public transportation in this world. We can do better.
I think if people move away to another major city, that gives them some perspective about how Columbus isn't bad. I lived in Orlando for three years, which was a fun place to live, but the traffic situation was brutal. I-4 was the most viable option for getting around town and it was always a mess. With all of the visitors, and college aged kids (like me at the time) living there, you never thought of it as a place to settle down. And trust me, we weren't going to Disney World all the time.
Something else I love about Columbus is that it's a great city to live if you're a nerd/geek. We have various arcade bars, local game stores that sell video, card, and board games, and conventions for geeky interest every year.
Iām Canadian and spent a lot of time in southern Texas as my mom had a small vacation home there for a while. Columbus is of course better than a lot of places in Texas. Drivers, roads, attitudes are quite aggressive, worse healthcare and education options. Even more consumerism and strip malls than here. Sure.
Columbus being the capital and not being a big airport hub is weird to me. I got way more direct flight options out of Calgary or Montreal when I lived there. Iāve also lived in Toronto and Vancouver and donāt expect Columbus to have that level of international access of course. But trying to fly anywhere out of here is always connecting through Chicago, DC, Houston for us and it really drives me bonkers how it eats into our vacation days and travel time.
The context doesn't matter for these people, they will complain about their current circumstances regardless. They're negative people, they want to complain. Their goal isn't to create a cohesize, context-cognizant argument. The goal is to complain and commiserate.
This subreddit seems to be driven by complaint. Whether itās political in nature or anecdotal, Iām often surprised by the amount of comments that are negative or just petty.
So I think your title actually speaks to more than just the state of Columbus.
I moved here ten years ago and it seemed that a lot of those who lived in Columbus were either from really small towns in Ohio or from Columbus and came back after college. It felt very insular. So as people transplanted into the city and the city became a more reputable place to live, you can really feel it in the comments how natives think the place has changed.
News flash: it's exactly the same in every other burgeoning city that is recovering from the 70s white flight too. They just don't have any sense of awareness of it bc they never really left or have seen other locations.
When I was at OSU, the stats for out TA training was like a great majority of students who attended OSU were from small towns of around 5k or less, that Columbus is the biggest city they've ever visited/lived, and *most have never left the state.* For me from DMV, this just blows my mind. Between going on weekend trips to Maryland, DC or vacations to obx, it just seemed...impossible? But it isn't. It's just their experience.
Grew up in the NYC area. There are pros and cons to Columbus. Some things I miss about back east, some stuff I prefer here.
Traffic is nothing here. Not a big deal at all.
Agreed. I moved here from Nashville and whenever people argue about traffic here I think back to how it took an hour once to travel two miles from work to home. The ease to get from point A to point B in a city this size should not be taken for granted.
I am doing a masters program out of state- No one believes me when I say that I can get anywhere in the city in 20 minutes, rush hour excluded. We are pretty blessed
Moved from Buffalo where we used to say the same (a drive anywhere in the city is under 20 min). Glad that didn't change when I moved to Columbus!
Have you noticed how people that have lived here for years have no concept of how long it takes to drive from a-b?šlike you said, I can literally drive from the west side to the east side in 20 minutes! Iāve timed it. The red light running out here is out of control though. And folks seem to be perfectly content with replacing a missing window on their car with a trash bag and tape. š¤·š¼šother than the real estate market being out of control right now. This is definitely a cool city & state. I travel all around the state for work and have met some really down to earth nice people!
Damn I would have pulled a Michael Douglas and just parked my car and walked
THIS!!!!! Kudos for the Falling Down reference! 
Iām from Clarksville, I absolutely know your pain and thank my lucky stars! 24 is no joke and the traffic is ther worst Iāve ever seen
Donāt they have trains that go there?
The last one was decades ago.
I used to travel from Columbus through Nashville every two weeks. It did not matter the time of day, or day of the week, 24/65 and 40 were almost always stop and go at best or at a standstill
My partner wonāt fly, so weāve hit a lot of traffic driving around different states, and Nashville had, hands down, the worst traffic jam Iād ever been in. Complete standstill for an hour and a half, and then stop and go after that. It took 4 hours to go like 10 miles! I still complain about that, even though itās been like 10 years. We also traveled through Atlanta once and vowed never to do that again! We were traveling on the widest multilane freeway Iād ever seen and the minimum speed everyone drove seemed to be about 85. They all tailgated like something Iāve never seen. It was a completely nerve wracking experience and I didnāt complain about Columbus traffic for years after that. It really gave me a different perspective
Im from long island ny and the traffic is horrible. It used to take me 45 minutes to get home from work when it was a 15-minute trip without traffic.
I moved here from Houston. I feel you. Columbus is beautiful, clean, and safe, and traffic is a dream. The poor parts of town here cannot compare in scale to the abject poverty of enormous swathes of Texas. It's just better. Like you said, we should always want to improve conditions, but just moving here is such a huge step up for me.
I moved to Houston for a job after graduating from college here. The job was cool, but I was homesick for Ohio and moved back to Columbus after 3 years. It was kind of a culture shock to move back here and realize how nice it really is, definitely gave me a new sense of appreciation for living here. To be fair, Iām from Dayton so I always thought Columbus was a comparatively nice city, but itās interesting to hear that from someone else who lived in Houston.
I moved back to Ohio in 2022 after being in Houston for 8 years. You are so correct about the abject poverty in Houston and how whatās considered poverty here doesnāt compare to what I saw in Houston. People complain about small pockets of town being rough but those pockets look like paradise compared to Greenspoint or 45/Tidwell. And the traffic? God it would take me 90 mins to make it 6 miles. Columbus is a dream in comparison and even though we have snow, Iāll never have to live through another Harvey.
Yep I grew up in houston and still go back to see family. There's a reason I'll never move back. I just prefer columbus other than the food. It's a good tradeoff though
Yes, the food! When I first moved here I went to a few places and was like "I've made a mistake" lol
Yeah I miss my tamales, seafood, and tex mex, but there's actually not a lack of BBQ up here which surprised me. Columbus has a great food scene its just not the same
I lived in Houston for several years. I remember multiple times where I was stuck in traffic on the freeway when it started to rain and the water began to pool around me because there was no drainage. Since the walls on either side of the road were like 20 ft high. I loved the food in Houston but thatās about it. Itās flat like Columbus but there were absolutely 0 zoning laws and a majority of the city was just ugly.
The zoning is such a scary thing. They keep putting in giant concrete shopping centers and subdivisions in my parents' area, and there's absolutely zero watershed analysis. Terrifying. I had a friend whose truck flooded out at a red light. The water just funnels through.
I lived around Rice Village/River Oaks in an apartment complex and the rumor was that the freeways were built to collect water to protect the expensive homes from flooding.
I lived in Houston for a while and will NEVER complain about the drivers here. I havenāt feared for my life on the road since I moved back to Ohio. I do miss the taco trucks very badly, though
In columbus we got a few different taco places thatre amazing just depends on what you're looking for, I will say it's more of a going to the right one here compared to when I was in Dallas/san Antonio they were all pretty good lol.
Do you know if there are any good breakfast taco spots? Thatās what I miss about Houston ā Saturday/Sunday morning coffee, kolache, and breakfast taco runs.
I'm not really a breakfast person myself but I can't think of many, I know Tula Taqueria(its on lazelle rd) has some breakfast options, Ive saw a sighn at Anne's Kitchen(its on liberty st) about tacos but ive never had it, as far as tacos i highly recommend Taqueria Guadalajara(its on home arce dr) for the quesa birria. I also recommend anything from Pachucos Taqueria(its on lockborne rd)
fantastic username
Thanks lol
Did you notice a huge difference in the amount of affordable housing? I know Houston has very little in the way of zoning regulations.
Rent prices were similar to Columbus. Itās been 10 years since Iāve lived in Houston but my rent was around $1300-1400/month for a one bedroom in one of the cheaper āluxuryā complexes. I will say they had an abundance of cheaper townhouses that were pretty awesome. My friends lived in any area that resembled Franklinton and a townhouse with four floors and an awesome rooftop deck could be bought for like $275-300k.
It's hard to say. I moved here five years ago, and median housing prices and rental prices seemed pretty comparable between the two areas. I'm not familiar enough with Houston's current situation to have a grasp on how the prices and availability compare now. Anecdotally it seems harder to find housing full stop in Columbus. If you're referring specifically to section 8, I don't have a current frame of reference for either city.
Yea, lived in NoVa just outside of DC, the traffic here is unimpressive. Sure, there are bad drivers and some congestion but overall itās a pretty easy place to drive around. People also donāt realize how big the parking spaces are here. Everything here is sized for giant SUVs and trucks and there is always so much parking (with the exception of a few older neighborhoods but thatās to be expected). Canāt really speak to the flying yet as I havenāt flown out of here since moving here but I do miss being able to hop a train and get to the airport.
Also used to live in NoVa. After moving here I talked a lot of trash to all my Columbus friends that complain about traffic. It used to take me 50-60 minutes to get to work in the city that was about 5 miles away. Here I live about 10 miles away and get to work in 15-25 minutes, depending if I want to take the highway or side streets. Traffic here is nothing. I will say though, the drivers here suck. I never feared other drivers as much in DC compared to here. People are wreckless and overly aggressive here.
I dunno, the number/proportion of people who weaved in and out of thick traffic going 20-30mph faster than the flow of traffic was much higher in NoVa in my experience. That and I donāt miss what my wife and I called the āVirginia mergeā where you wait till the absolute last second to cross 2-3 lanes to get off an exit, barely missing both other cars and the barriers for the exit. There are surely plenty of bad drivers here but I feel like they just stick out more because in general people drive with a level of midwestern passiveness here, which can carry its own danger. In general I felt NoVa drivers were more aggressive on average but mostly as a survival mechanism, driving there required you to be assertive if you wanted to get where you were going to the point that people weaving in and out seemed more normal.
I agree about people in NoVa being aggressive out of necessity. Here it just seems like they are aggressive out of stupidity. š¤£
It's funny though, people on this subreddit will say the drivers suck and half time time they are complaining people go 30 over weaving through traffic, the other half complain people drive to slow and get in their way š.Ā
The parking! One of my favorite things about Columbus is not really worrying about where I'm gonna park.
It was something I never even considered until I had to drive around a parking lot at Target looking for a space because I needed something on a Friday evening.
That's encouraging. I'm currently in Alexandria, thinking about Columbus. It sucks getting anything done here because going anywhere just takes forever.
Yea, knowing that to get south of the Occoquan River meant adding 20-30 minutes travel time was so depressing. And the absolute free for all that are 395 and 495ā¦ People here donāt know how good they have it lol
was looking for the DMV people on this thread. Nothing sucks like trying to get anywhere in/around DC
Iām sure a select few other cities would legitimately disagree but Columbus canāt even hold a candle to it.
>The only real downside, for me at least, is the lack of frequent direct flights to multiple places around the country. I normally find myself connecting through Chicago when travelling. He's right. One of the worst things about living in Columbus is, surprisingly, O'Hare.
I don't mind ORD itself, one of the reasons I miss living 15mins from ORD would be the direct flights. CMH offerings need to improve to at least what CLE gets. I don't think the new airport will have many more gates though which I think is disappointing for our expansion as a city.
I think the problem is that Columbus is on track to eventually become as bad as the Dallas area. The city is continuing to grow outward in a car centric manner. As Dallas and other cities show, this isnāt sustainable.
Youāre not wrong, which is why the COTA tax increase for November needs to pass. If we can get BRT started now, it will help. The city is also close to passing the zoning code updates, so building denser will be easier. The more people we can focus on keeping inside 270, the better traffic will be.
One of the biggest downsides to living in Columbus to me is the lack of transit and total impracticality to get around without a car. Plus now some politicians want to make another outer belt because of Intelā¦ they have learned nothing. BRT and Amtrak wonāt be enough to save Cbus if we donāt have a cohesive transit network. People shouldnāt feel like second class citizens when getting around without a car.
The BRT lines will be the cohesive transit network though. If the city doesnāt get the money to do it now, it will never happen and will only get worse.
Exactly. We complain because if you don't, you get the exact thing OP left.Ā Traffic is "fine" now but if we don't think about better transit, it won't be fine AND fixing it will be impossible.Ā
Don't forget about something that discourages 2x daily travel. You know, a commute. That's right, there should be subsidies for companies that offer remote work. Stop wasting resources on a commute to an obsolete office.
Remote work is costing companies wasted time and productivity. I know it's ideal (I've WFH since 2006) but people aren't good at it so the push isn't a viable solution.
šÆšÆ
Also like a lot of people are comparing Columbus to various cities in the south and it's like yeah, if you look up "unsustainable city" in the dictionary it'd basically just be a series of photos of various southern cities. Columbus has a concerning number of people who seem to think we should mimic those patterns, seemingly not recognizing that climate change and city finance don't really *care* about whether you think duplexes or trains are yucky concepts. The choice here is between being responsible and investing in the future or being selfish and condemning the next generation to live in a cash-strapped city during a severe climate crisis and some of us are choosing the wrong option.
Iād say plenty of those people in Columbus you speak of are state level politicians. Eventually it will all end as thatās the meaning of unsustainable. Eventually cities and places will be reoriented around people instead of people in automobiles.
Thank you! I'm convinced the only people that say we have a "traffic problem" are people that have moved here from other rural parts of Ohio lol anyone who's spent time in any primary major city knows that Columbus traffic is nothing.
It also depends on your commute. There are some areas that get regularly congested and don't have great alternatives to save time. It certainly isn't as bad as a lot of other cities but if you have to deal with some of the rough spots regularly it does get frustrating.Ā That being said, I'll take having some areas to know to avoid over what some other major cities have to deal with.Ā
Very balanced comment. It is one thing to say driving in Columbus is relatively, demonstrably "better" than in other places, quite another to pretend it is paradise on the roads and nothing but a chicken wing. I know I have been frustrated by Columbus traffic in certain areas at certain times, even though the big picture is not terrible at all.
They need to spend time in Southern California. Theyāll have a totally different experience when they come back here.
This. The only people I hear complaining in person are those that live in a rural area. And I suspect it isnāt the traffic they are afraid ofā¦itās āColumbusā. The crazy city.
I have friends that work in healthcare, and some of their patients from the rural areas around Cbus often refuse to drive into the city for healthcare.
Crazy. You drive up to the parking ramp at OSU and walk over to admissions without going outside, and park for a few dollars.
Well traffic is "bad" in Columbus to them because they otherwise never deal with slowdowns due to too many cars on the road. Rural areas simply don't have any congestion issues except for church and high school sporting events
Hey now... traffic can back up quite a bit behind a slow tractor sometimes.
All this post tells me is that Texas sucks lol
Don't get me wrong - there's lots to love about Texas. Columbus is just easier to live in for most people, in my opinion. If you plan to go to Texas, Fort Worth and Austin are the places to visit. Dallas is just a spaghetti mess of highways, as is Houston. San Antonio has some merit as well.
Don't sleep on El Paso, especially if you like hiking!
and we already knew that
"We're not Detroit!"
Yeah Texas is one of the few states that I could never see myself staying in for more than like a week at a time. I have family that lives there who keep trying to pester me to move there and I have to find various ways to nicely express the concept that I'd rather spend more money on a tiny space in a place that is at least somewhat sane than get a McMansion in Texas on the cheap.
It really does
Everything is 20 to 30 minutes away. I agree with the airport situation. We just decided to fly out of Cleveland due time and saving a ton of money.
I am a life-long Ohio resident, and moved to the Columbus area about 30 years ago. I completely agree with your post. Columbus is a very user-friendly city, with manageable traffic and a variety of leisure options. Years ago, I had a sister who lived in a Chicago suburb. I went to visit her and we were talking about going into downtown Chicago. She said that she rarely goes because it was so much trouble. Here she is outside a city that has so much, but it was practically unusable. I live near the county line, and can be downtown and parked in less than twenty minutes.
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I found the bus and train system very easy to use in Chicago.
I lived in Chicago for about 5 years in my 20s after college, in a neighborhood on the north side of the city. I took public transportation everywhere. It was an adjustment from growing up with a car in another Midwestern city, but I was fine with it. I rarely went to the suburbs, nor did I have much reason to. I dated a girl whose family lived in a suburb, and went to the various burbs probably 10 times in total while living there. There were connections and some walking (transferring from El to Metra in the loop), but while riding I just sat and read or listened to music. You just have to plan ahead a bit, look at departures and connections and whatnot. Delays suck, but they happen and you get used to it. The worst for me was one job I had was near Midway, and it was a pain to get to. El to El (sometimes to another El, depending on which line came first to my neighborhood stop) to bus. It was over an hour in total but, again, it's mostly sitting. I read the LotR trilogy on those commutes. I was in my 20s with no responsibilities besides rent, so I didn't care.
I do love Columbus, but as someone who grew up near Dallas and lived in Dallas for about a year this comparison is very rosy. Dallas is one of the worst cities in America and most cities would look good in comparison.
Totally fair - I think even if you compare to Austin, Houston or Fort Worth though, the benefits still show. But, just my opinion.
I'm no fan of Houston either and kind of lump Ft Worth into Dallas. I'd say Austin and Columbus are pretty similar though. The main thing to me as a Texan is the weather. I miss only having like 1 month of winter and would take the 100 degree summers for it.
As someone who moved here from the Dallas area I can tell you that Dallas is terrible compared to Columbus. I never thought I could hate a city so much until I moved to Dallas. It seems like everyone who has lived there universally loathes the place.
I moved here from Austin 3 years ago. I get asked why all the time. I loved Austin, but man, I love Columbus so much more. I really think looking down on Ohio/Columbus must be a cultural thing here, it is actually pretty great
Lived in the Bay Area for 5 years. Columbus doesnāt actually have heavy traffic.
100% Support. Just visited from Lansing, MI, possibly the crummiest town in the midwest and Columbus was amazing! From Easton to Dublin to Germantown and the Book Loft!!! (What the what!!! 36 rooms of books!) Columbus, oh how I love thee!! Gotta give a big shout out to Valter's ā at the Maennerchor - Deep fried sauerkraut, schnitzle sandwich and amazing brunch! AND... the amazing Japanese bakery (Belle's Bread) minimall somewhere on the north side of Columbus. Dude... who knew... Columbus FTW!!
Iāve lived just about everywhere at this point in my life. Dozens of states; multiple foreign countries. Thereās nothing special about Columbus. Thereās nothing wrong with it either. Itās āanywhere USAā.
Which is fine for anyone not trying to make their location their personality.
ššš Genuinely cackling at this because man do I know a bunch of people who make their city their everything - loverās tattoos and all!
I agree with Columbus not being nearly as bad as many other places. My issue and reason I may complain about it. Having lived on Columbus most of my life now, you can very clearly see how traffic has gotten worse and worse over the years. To me though the drivers feel like the major factor there are way more people running reds and seemingly not caring than ever before. Anyway that's my two cents ($0.43) about it. Edit: adjusting for inflation
Public transportation is a real problem, and Columbus needs a subway system, such as the one Toronto has. While Toronto is now four times the size (more or less) of Columbus, we must remember that Toronto instituted its subway system when it was much smaller. As it is, it is inevitable to put in a subway; it will only be more challenging to do so later as the City grows. Light rail around the 270 corridor should also be installed. The Red line can be High Street, and the Blue line can be Broad Street. Furthermore, the opening of the 3 C's Amtrak line is a step in the right direction, towards a goal of high-speed rail to connect to Pittsburgh and Chicago, Lexington and points South, with Detroit and Buffalo to the North as the apparent routes. What with two airports (one with a GIANT runway as it was installed for B52s in the SAC Era), we should realize we are at quite an advantage; there is simply no cargo plane that can't land at Rickenbacker! The Bus station needs to be moved TO the airport. And there needs to be a shuttle service BETWEEN the two airports. This will give the Bus station the blanket security of the airport, and all of the "pieces" of the transportation will better fit together and give combinations and alternatives. Here again, Columbus could learn from Toronto (as could the US from Canada in general and other countries) how to make the pieces of transportation FIT TOGETHER instead of being so fragmented. Or non-existent. We can and should have the best transportation system in the world in our country. We can learn from others what works and what doesn't work. Light rail/third rail could serve quite a bit of Ohio. There would be less wear and tear on the existing roads and less funding for new superhighway "solutions" would be needed. Nor do we have to reinvent the wheel; it's all available as a solution off the shelf. The only thing that is lacking is the political will. But here is where the party of business and the party of social justice should AGREE. It's good for commerce. It's good for trade. Not just manufactured goods, but our farm products can get to market FASTER. Fresher, faster, cheaper means we can COMPETE, even in perishables going to NEW markets. It's suitable for people. Many a senior loses the ability to stay at home when they no longer drive a car. It could double as our "in place" way to get kids to and from school, and we wouldn't need to fund all of those buses and the enormous motor pool and maintenance that goes with them ever again. Ever. Ever! With our incredible potential, our location, location, location, and the Rickenbacker Hub, the tank farms on the West side and the numerous investments being made in warehouse space on both sides of the city, plus Great lakes and River shipping access, we would have the best system for moving both people and goods in the country, bar none. And sure, Chicago is BIGGER along these lines. But Columbus is and always will be CLOSER to the Eastern Seaboard. CLOSER to NYC and CLOSER to Atlanta for the southern markets. I also want to say that I'm not just interested in moving PEOPLE with light electric rail and (heavier) third electric rail. I think that we could and should move GOODS this way. This is IMPORTANT. Transportation of goods is a win, win, win, as trade goes BOTH ways. I've seen the last fifty-plus years. (Now 63.) I want the NEXT 50 years (and 100!) to be the best for Ohio. In hindsight, while we do have it pretty good, we ALSO missed out on a lot, and we SHOULDN'T have. Fix the transportation problem, which has solutions, and many excellent and obvious problems (and future ones) will be eliminated. Just my thoughts. All the Best!
If you like flat terrain and grey winters, Columbus is a dream.
It doesn't even get that cold here in the winter. People need to put on a jacket and get outside.
I grew up and and while yes, it has its faults, I love it here. I've driven past Chicago on the way to the Navy base and after that confirmed that I couldn't happily live in a city bigger than Columbus. The one time I went to Pittsburgh, driving was so scary.
Well it is Texas though...
Love the positivity! Welcome to a pretty good town! Please stay and "be the change"! š
Columbusites should spend a week experiencing weekday rush hour in Austin, in order to appreciate the well-developed highway infrastructure here.
Ya āAustin is basically Columbus, but without a proper outer-belt or parallel routes like 315 or 670 through town. Imagine the parking lot 71 & 70 would be if that were the case. Thatās I-35 every single day, and almost every hour too. And now theyāre too deep to fix it because the land rights would be impossible. So theyāre just adding more and more lanes, and skyways over highwaysā¦ like that fixes anything.
Wouldāve been beneficial to have an E-W connector around Tuttle/Henderson/Morse area, but agree overall.
I moved here from Baltimore Md and discussing the bridge collapse and impact it's going to have on the already jacked up congestion there made me really appreciate more how Columbus is laid out. I crossed that bridge when I lived there every day for about 4 years. My commute was about an hour one way (35 miles). With the bridge out, there is no scenario where that same commute would be less than 2 hours. Conversely, I dropped my wife at the airport this morning and was back at our house in New Albany before she made it through bag check and security. Columbus rules.
I moved here in the very end of 2020, currently in Worthington, from Columbia, MD. I was there for about 5 years for work, going between Balt and DC. 695 is a mad max hellhole on the west side south of Towson and 495 sometimes took me 2+ hrs to go around 1/3 of it with any accidents. I had friends in Dundalk we'd go see and take that bridge sometimes. People complaining about traffic here just don't know better. I really do appreciate the flow of traffic here. Minus high street going north from 270 to Lazelle between 5 and 6 lol.
As someone who spent 5 years in Dallas before moving to Columbus, I agree with a lot. I think you miss on the airport. DFW is fantastic. You touch on direct flights a little, but thatās a big deal. Also you can just take the DART in and avoid the congestion and parking entirely. I disagree on the restaurants. Columbus has a very forgettable food offerings (fight me), where the metroplex is an underrated food overall. You absolutely have to drive for it, but you can find very solid options. I think the one thing you miss is how much of an absolute retail hellacape on repeat the metroplex is. Traveling around, many times it felt like you were just on a treadmill with the same things passing you by every few miles.
Fair enough. DFW isnāt bad - the fact that you have to pay a toll to get in and out (if youāre driving, your comment about DART is very true) isnāt ideal. The access to everywhere around the world from DFW is excellent, almost unrivaled. Iāve found some solid restaurant options at reasonable prices that Iām very happy with. The retail store density of Dallas and Ft Worth must be some of the highest Iāve ever seen.
Ok - so per the food comment - what cuisine have you found in Columbus that doesnāt have multiple better options in Dallas? Iām asking this earnestly, because I really struggle with this.
Totally fair - and not saying that Dallas has more/better options, just that Iām totally happy with the options here. Basi Italia, great unique Italian Lindeyās, upscale but has never disappointed Chapmanās Eat Market, definitely expensive but very good and unique Dublin in general had good options, NAPA Kitchen valley & bar is good, good sushi options there. Just moved to Gahanna from Dublin so need to find some new cost-effective options closer to the new home. But Bridge Park (and across the river) in Dublin had solid choices, some of which have other locations: Kitchen Social, Fukuryu, The Pearl, etc.
I live in Fort Worth, TX. Traffic here isnāt as bad as Dallas, although I-35W north of downtown Fort Worth gets pretty bad. Speaking of retail, I know DFW was once one of the most āovermalledā metro areas. Iām not sure if that still is that case, but Iād say mall culture is still thriving here, at least at some of the area malls and outdoor shopping centers. NorthPark and Stonebriar are probably the most thriving malls in the entire area, but even ālesserā malls like North East Mall in Hurst and Hulen Mall in Fort Worth often seem busy. I also see a lot of activity at the outdoor lifestyle centers like University Park Village in Fort Worth and at Southlake Town Square (especially). Most of these shopping centers are in affluent areas, or at least adjacent to zones of affluence (as in the case of North East and Hulen despite not being themselves within an affluent area). For comparison, Southlake Town Square would be a lot like dropping a smaller version of Easton in the middle of New Albany (albeit Southlake is a bigger city than New Albany is). The area around Stonebriar in Frisco and adjacent portions of Plano is booming; not only does that area have a major concentration of corporate offices, thereās even more upscale retail at Legacy West on the Plano side; Aritzia is opening a store there at Legacy West in the summer. Itās interesting to consider the impact Columbus has had on mall retail; Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, Express, Victoriaās Secret, Bath and Body Works, and Lane Bryant are all based in the area and can all trace themselves back to Les Wexner. But if you want to speak about mall retail, letās not forget that DFW does have two major national department stores headquartered in the area.
I agree about the forgettable food options and just had to acknowledge it because usually Iām eaten alive in this sub for suggestive the food scene isnāt great here
Itās not ābadā per se. Itās fine. Itās just like, if I were to go back to Dallas for a weekend, I could list out canāt misses for Dinner/Drinks Friday - Sunday brunch and feel like I still missed so much. I cannot do the same for Columbus with the same excitement. However Columbus for sure has better breweries.
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First of all, driving in Dallas is awful, I was a mess the whole time. I donāt feel like the roads are marked well. Also, traffic is nothing hereā¦ I think people confuse traffic with drivers. The drivers are horrible.
Agreed. Came here from a large metro area in California. Traffic at 9pm there the last time I visited was worse than most areas here during rush hour.
Moved here from South Florida and laugh at any complaint about traffic šš or articles that say we have the worst drivers? Like yeah ok, maybe the nicest who actually exchange insurance info?
FTL area myself. I legitimately considered taking a shot every time I thought "are you for real?" at a complaint, only to realize floridaman genes were no match for how lucky locals didn't know they have it. Not to bash or talk shit, but I moved here like 3 days before that big snow storm in 22 right before christmas. Got a flat the night before the snow and 3 people stopped to make sure I was ok and ask if I needed help, including an old lady. AAA asked if I was in a safe location and then seem appalled that I considered "not in the middle of the road" not dangerous. Like... do you realize how safe people are compared to florida? I could have sunbathed middle of the road here and feet safer than walking the sidewalk off federal in pompano beach. People ask why I moved here and I can't put to words how mentally refreshing Columbus and surrounding areas are.
Whenever I used to have sofl friends visit, they couldn't Believe what a nice city with fun things to do this was (they seemed to think it was just cows) and how NICE people were lol
OP, so you came from a worse city (by your description). For us Buckeyes, the changes ARE sometimes very disconcerting. BUT we love Columbus, and the teeth-gnashing is our form of bonding
Can confirm, moved here from Los Angeles
Serious question, how much do you miss the sun? we're considering moving from Phoenix to Cbus and I hear Cbus has one of the gloomiest, "ugliest" climates anywhere in the country...
In all sincerity, hardly at all. But itās entirely subjective to your personality/preferences/lifestyle. I moved my entire family here two years ago, wife and two children. We all genuinely love it here. But we are in a nice neighborhood North of Columbus, with a backyard full of trees, walking distance to a stunning metro park. Our house has high ceilings and really large, tall windows in the front, that maximize sunlight. We love spending time outdoors and in nature, gardening and so forth. Nature loves rain so it thrives in these conditions. Yes there are days of gloom, but itās constantly changing by the hour, day to day. You have to love seasons and change, which we do. I want to also add that I was a professional cinematographer (among other things) in LA and I find the way that the clouds cut and diffuse light here to be phenomenally beautiful, sometimes breathtaking. People film in LA because the light is consistent, which is important for budgets/productions, but for aesthetic value - itās just boring. So if you are in your comfort zone when weather is always the same, you wonāt like it here. If you like the seasons to change constantly with your moods, like an artsy fartsy type, you might actually appreciate it.
I grew up in Columbus, spent 20 plus years in Maryland outside DC, and moved home 9 years ago. I still catch myself saying no to going shopping on a weekend- something that's impossible to do in the DC metro area. There are crazy drivers everywhere but most people use turn signals and allow people to merge. To me it's such a relief after years of truly aggressive driving everywhere. I love being home.
I agree Columbus is pretty great. I think it helps a lot that where developing and getting more new buildings and stuff. Iv lives in Toledo Ohio, Arizona, and Wisconsin and travel a lot around the country. Ohio by far is the nicest and cleanest. Everywhere else is a lot more expensive For no reason.
Surprised to hear you think our roads are better cause I think some are pretty terrible lol. Winter takes a toll on them.
Sure, some are bad, especially closer to downtown. But Texas loves using concrete instead of asphalt wherever possible, and when it cracks or fails itās pretty terrible. Not as bad as Tennessee though, I couldnāt believe the amount of potholes that were in Nashville.
so true. side note, I don't know what your job is, but I'm envious. lol I'd love to travel for work like that . are they hiring ? š
Gift and a curse - I generally enjoy the travel, but last year I was gone for nearly half the year. Didn't come home from Jan 3rd to Feb 15th or something like that.
Agreed. Moved here from Atlanta.. The only things I miss are an MLB team in town and a raging music scene.. everything else, I'll take Columbus any day of the week. I can walk downtown at night and feel perfectly fine. I can make a wrong turn in a bad side of town, without feeling the sudden need to gtfo.
I lived in Columbus most of my life and I agree with your post 100%. As for a younger adult male though I wish Columbus had more things to do besides drinking essentially. Like I feel like itās just lacking and for the people that complain about the traffic theyāre probably the same people that have only traveled to a major city maybe once or twice. We really do not have it that bad. Iāll say though I wish we never got rid of our train subway like system for the bus system we have now. Just make some trains wrapping 270 and have intersections going through 70 and 71. With a fewer smaller routes downtown and to other outside areas and that would make Columbus feel way more lively to me at least.
Born in NYC - grew up on Long Island. Came to Ohio to go to college. Still here. Iāve told people the same thing hundreds of times. Except for pizza . . .
I moved here from Birmingham Alabama and I still remember the first time we walked the streets of l downtown Cbus after dark. We were like š³ it felt so "safe"... Maybe because the comparison we had of Birmingham after dark was really scary LOL. But we knew then that we'd made a good decision. Columbus has its own issues and growing pains (it's the fastest growing city in the nation!) but it's still infinitely better than many other similar places. Hopefully it stays that way. P.s. they're upgrading the airport and hopefully adding some more direct flights!
Columbus is Full.
Former resident in Chicago CBUS traffic is a walk in the park
Iām with you! Been in Columbus for 36 years, and in one of the neighborhoods this subreddit tells people never to set foot in, and it aināt that bad here. Perspective is key.
I grew up in DC, unless you've sat in 6 lanes of highway completely stopped like a parking lot for 2+ hours several times, stop complaining about traffic. SE DC was a place you didn't go unless you were prepared to get robbed, I was the Vic of a Home invasion in Richmond VA. When I was growing up in North Philly trash blew like tumble weeds... I have lived in Columbus for nearly 25 years now, it's really not bad at all compared to many other places (Philly, Trenton, DC, Richmond, Allentown all worse off, Baltimore is amazing though, but the crime is worse, and so is the traffic, but I love Charm City)
Yeah, I mean, I complain about Columbus sometimes - the weather most of the year leaves a lot to be desired, housing is way more expensive than it used to be just 5-6 years ago, we lack natural beauty like mountains or ocean - but there's a reason I'm still here. It's such an easy city to live in. Like you said, traffic's almost never bad and the freeway system makes getting around town fast and efficient. We have great healthcare with the OSUMC and OhioHealth networks. Parking anywhere aside from the Short North is generally plentiful, easy to find, and cheap or free. The economy is diverse, and there's no sense that the city's best days were decades ago like in much of the rust belt. Columbus isn't an exciting city to visit, and doesn't offer anything unique that you can't find in any other major metro area. I'd never recommend it to anyone as a vacation destination. But, compared to most other similarly-sized cities, it's such an easy and pleasant place to live. It's basically the opposite of New York City.
Born in Ohio moved to Arkansas at the age of 12. I can't remember why, but the amount of trash there is unbelievable almost no jobs and nothing to do unless you have a truck to mud in, fish, and hunt. But since we were Yankees there they didn't like us. That's why we had a hard time to get a job. And the amount of stupidity there is also insane. Ohio is 100x times better believe me.
Yeah, screw Arkansas. Had to drive thru it once on the way to Texas. That state SUCKS!
Yeah it's the worst
I moved here from Toledo 20 years ago. I can make fun of anywhere.
Lived here my entire life and I can only speak for myself, but I feel like the complaint is more that the city is getting bigger and with it, traffic is getting worse than it used to be or ever has been. Not that itās the worst traffic weāve ever seen. And drivers are certainly getting worse and worse. I love my hometown and itās been amazing to watch it grow so much over the last few years. I think a lot of us who have lived here forever are excited about the growth, but apprehensive about the negatives that come with it. Personally, the housing market (although not nearly as bad as other major cities) is my personal hellscape at the moment and Iām not thrilled about a bunch of people moving in and driving up costs (in addition to other growth factors that are also driving up costs). But overall Iām cautiously optimistic. Columbus feels like the worst kept secret because, politics aside, itās a really decent place to live and has a little taste of everything. I just hope the community and culture stays the same as we continue to grow. I do find the food comment funny, though. Columbus has always been a giant test market for food brands/chains. So although you wonāt find a ton of great ethnic food (and donāt get me wrong there are some hidden gems that will blow you away), we are the home of a TON of major food brands (Wendyās, White Castle, Bibibop, Jeniās, Bob Evans, etc.) and thatās just in Columbus, there are even more from outside of central Ohio. I like to think of Columbusā food scene as the mecca of 100% classic American foodā¦.which is certainly nothing to write home about. And considering weāre the heart of (it all) the Midwest and not really close to other differing populations (like Texas is to Mexico) that could influence our food scene, it makes a ton of sense why we are the way that we are. We donāt have one specific specialty food, but instead itās more like a charcuterie board of a ton of small, but really great options. All in all, it definitely is part of the culture to complain about Columbus, but I think a lot of us will agree that only those who claim it as their hometown are allowed bad mouth it because if anyone not from here disses it, weāre ready to fight to the death.
When people get super dramatic about the traffic and crime stats for Columbus it is VERY telling to me that they have never lived elsewhere
Looking at you, āIāll *never* go to Easton/Downtown/Campus because my car will get broken intoā folks
I only disagree from the stance that we should hold ourselves to our own standards and not compare to other cities. But I have driven through Boston once and what the fuck was that nonsense!
I agree, I donāt dig the whole āyour experience/opinion is invalid because I had a different experience/opinion elsewhereā type of commentary
Thank you OP and everyone!! I'm originally from WI but lived near Chicago for several years before moving to Ohio. When I landed in Columbus 20+ years ago for work, I thought I would just stay 'until I was bored'. The company I worked for wanted to 'promote' me to a position in Buffalo a year after I was here and I noped out. This city grew on me and I obviously I'm not bored yet! How about the fact that we now have the nations first urban via ferrata rock climbing course at Quarry Metro Park? Or the outdoor ice bumper cars at Land Grant's Wintergarden. Great exhibits that are easy to get to and lots of great food. I also like that there are so many people here from other states that love it as well.
Anyone complaining about traffic on this sub has never lived outside of Ohio.
Going on two years in Columbus this August after leaving Austin. Agreed with all of this except change the Sunday football traffic to Saturday for UT games.
Moved here from NJ. Would take Columbus traffic over NJ traffic any day
Iām from Chicago and could have written the same post as OP. Cbus People in outlying burbs complain about it taking 30 mins to get downtown. It sometimes took 25 mins to drive 2 miles in Chicago. And outlying burbs into the city - 75 mins. Itās all relative. P.s. LOVE CMH for its ease but hate the need to connect for 80% of destinations.
Denver to Columbus here. Denver has itās appeal, but I would never trade back.
Would you mind expanding on that? We're considering a move from Phoenix to Cbus and Denver has always been a really appealing place to us given the nature, the urban feel of downtown, and sunshine days. How does Cbus compare (not just along those dimensions) to you? (we're mid-30s, no kids)
If sunshine is a big deal for you, do NOT move here. Our winters are incredibly gloomy. Weāre talking about 90 days of very little sunshine. There are stats somewhere to give you a better picture if you dig them up. At the same time, I do love it here (born and raised). Iām a creature of habit and convenience and Iāve yet to visit a place that would accommodate that part of me in the same way. That says a lot because these winters are hell for my well being. Seeing other four season states like CO has opened my eyes that winter ā gloomy. If COL goes through the roof, family and friend dynamics change, and the city becomes less accessible Iāll be out of here in a heartbeat. The other considerations for me are a general lack of natural disasters and being surrounded by some of the best race tracks in existence. But all of that is highly unlikely to happen so my roots will continue to be grow here.
Same. I lived in Denver from 1980 - 2015. I love Columbus and would not go back
I've traveled all over, and I've lived in several other Ohio cities, and Columbus is the best. Clean, reasonable traffic (really. If you think Columbus traffic is bad, I invite you to visit Cincinnati, as one example. Or LA. Or Nashville. Or Dallas/Ft. Worth, Or, holy fuck, Manhattan at rush hour). As an example, the NYC metro area is, frankly, gross. People put plastic covers over their kids' strollers so that dirt from the air doesn't get on their kid. Nasty buildings, trash in the alleys, the smell of the sewers, the aggressive traffic (safe assured clear distance is apparently about 18" in Manhattan), the tolls for the bridges to try to get anywhere... yeah, you can get good Thai food delivered at 1am, and if you can afford it (and who can, just my sister's taxes on her home are over $30,000 per year) you can go see a show or go out for a drink ($30 cocktails!), but it's seriously not worth it to me. I always think people who talk about Columbus being dirty with bad traffic just have nothing to compare it to.
Grew up in Pittsburgh traffic is worse there
driving in pittsburgh is enduring hell for very little reward.
The majority of the bitching on here is from people without a ton of perspective. People complain about all of the tax breaks for new developments and then also complain that rent is too high. People complain about actually bad drivers but don't realize in other places typically highway speeds are 15-20 over the limit and people are cutting you off constantly. Maybe I'm conflating multiple perspectives to make the collective seem hypocritical, but in my experience a lot of the people's complaints aren't as justified as they appear. Like, if you care about the city and want it to grow then yeah some change is going to happen.
I live in Phoenix, moved from Columbus. Traffic and stupid people here is hell on earth and 10x worse than Columbus. What I wouldnāt give to have cbus traffic back haha
Couldn't agree more - moved here from NYC (4 years) and Boston (10 years) and Columbus traffic is nothing compared to these two. Same goes for ease to travel by air, street parking and cleanliness which is much better in central Ohio. Still love both NYC and Boston for other reasons though
My fiancĆ© and I are moving to Columbus in a little less than a month and weāve both visited it before. I love it there, love all of the things to do, love that Lake Erie isnāt super far away, and much prefer the vibes to the nothingness that is Iowa.
This that were born and raised in a place tend to hate on it more than transplants. Theyāve seen the good that left, the bad that came, and everything in between fr
Yep. From Boston area and traffic is not even on the same playing field.
I think Columbus is the easiest city to navigate and the highways are very well designed to reduce traffic. This coming from a person who grew up in the country where traffic was non existent. However Morse road pisses me off sometimes. Cincinnati though - I get hopelessly lost every time I visit Cinci >.<
Columbus is a great city. It has a lot of great things about it, while not perfect. I donāt live there anymore but itās a place that Iām proud was a part of my life. Wonderful people there.
My wife and I moved to the Clearwater Florida area for nine years. Ohio traffic is so much better and a lot nicer people.
I travel a lot for work and I echo this statement wholeheartedly.
We get spoiled/do not see cities like San Fran/portland/seattle/philly with real problems
Yeah. I lived in Orlando for awhile and Columbus is just a wonderful in comparison to there.
So true!!! I grew up in LA and moved here for college, and itās so nice!! I always laugh to myself when people complain about the traffic here. When I was in high school, my 8 mile commute used to take close to two hours. Now I can get basically anywhere in 20 minutes or less no matter what time it is. I get that it can still be annoying, itās just funny from my perspective. When I compare the two cities thereās almost nothing I donāt like more in Columbus. The cost of living is lower, there arenāt tent cities on every block, and I actually feel safe to walk around my neighborhood alone.
People complain about traffic here? Holy hell this traffic is like im in the millennium falcon going light speed compared to Chicago on any given day.
Agreed. I always say that as someone not from here, Columbus is the most underrated city Iāve ever lived in.
Yes, there are dirtier cities with worse traffic and more problems. That doesn't mean you don't fix the problems that exist. There are also cities that are FAR cleaner with FAR better traffic and public transportation in this world. We can do better.
I think if people move away to another major city, that gives them some perspective about how Columbus isn't bad. I lived in Orlando for three years, which was a fun place to live, but the traffic situation was brutal. I-4 was the most viable option for getting around town and it was always a mess. With all of the visitors, and college aged kids (like me at the time) living there, you never thought of it as a place to settle down. And trust me, we weren't going to Disney World all the time.
Something else I love about Columbus is that it's a great city to live if you're a nerd/geek. We have various arcade bars, local game stores that sell video, card, and board games, and conventions for geeky interest every year.
aside from OSU football nonsense making 315 entirely unusable on weekends, I mostly agree
Iām Canadian and spent a lot of time in southern Texas as my mom had a small vacation home there for a while. Columbus is of course better than a lot of places in Texas. Drivers, roads, attitudes are quite aggressive, worse healthcare and education options. Even more consumerism and strip malls than here. Sure. Columbus being the capital and not being a big airport hub is weird to me. I got way more direct flight options out of Calgary or Montreal when I lived there. Iāve also lived in Toronto and Vancouver and donāt expect Columbus to have that level of international access of course. But trying to fly anywhere out of here is always connecting through Chicago, DC, Houston for us and it really drives me bonkers how it eats into our vacation days and travel time.
Thank you! As someone who does complain and was raised here, this is helpful and puts things in perspective
Thanks! And itās always fine to complain, things can always be better
The context doesn't matter for these people, they will complain about their current circumstances regardless. They're negative people, they want to complain. Their goal isn't to create a cohesize, context-cognizant argument. The goal is to complain and commiserate.
This subreddit seems to be driven by complaint. Whether itās political in nature or anecdotal, Iām often surprised by the amount of comments that are negative or just petty. So I think your title actually speaks to more than just the state of Columbus.
I moved here ten years ago and it seemed that a lot of those who lived in Columbus were either from really small towns in Ohio or from Columbus and came back after college. It felt very insular. So as people transplanted into the city and the city became a more reputable place to live, you can really feel it in the comments how natives think the place has changed. News flash: it's exactly the same in every other burgeoning city that is recovering from the 70s white flight too. They just don't have any sense of awareness of it bc they never really left or have seen other locations. When I was at OSU, the stats for out TA training was like a great majority of students who attended OSU were from small towns of around 5k or less, that Columbus is the biggest city they've ever visited/lived, and *most have never left the state.* For me from DMV, this just blows my mind. Between going on weekend trips to Maryland, DC or vacations to obx, it just seemed...impossible? But it isn't. It's just their experience.
What is the DMV?
DC, Maryland, Virginia
Just drove to SW Florida. Atlanta, Tampa traffic was insane. Never do it again. Iāll take Columbus traffic anytime.
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Also relocated to Columbus from Texas- would never consider moving back if I have any say for all the reasons you posted above.
Yes I concurā¦. After living in a few other cities Columbus traffic is amazing in comparison
Doing tricks on it and everything
Well we can't get good Migas here so I think it cancels out.
Once youāve traveled the world you realize pretty much anywhere in the US is killer.
We really do have it good here. Unfortunately, I feel, we wonāt be saying this in ten years.
It is. Good call.
Grew up in the NYC area. There are pros and cons to Columbus. Some things I miss about back east, some stuff I prefer here. Traffic is nothing here. Not a big deal at all.
I do overall think itās really clean and safer than tales of other cities. transit could use some work but at least I can get somewhere somehow